2017.2.26_The Function of the Church of Jesus

The function of the church of Jesus

(1 Corinthians 12:12~31)

God still works today
God is the Almighty. He does His work by His power today the same as yesterday, and will forever. The work of God that started before the beginning of the world is recorded in the Bible. The Bible contains such a long history of the past that some people regard it as a legend and think God is a mythical being.
However, God, who worked in the past, is still working now by the Holy Spirit. Just as the Bible said that “The Savior will come”, the Son of God came to this world. He was crucified and ascended into Heaven after His resurrection. Now He is doing His work by the Holy Spirit. The role of the church is to prove that He is not just a figure of a myth or a legend but the Being who is working even today and to make people realize that.
The power of God is not an abstract concept. The power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is working now and will continue to appear in the future. The duty of the church is to bring people to God in order that they may receive all things that He bestows and reveals to them.

Bible-like Faith
The Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians. When the Bereans heard Paul’s messages, they examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true. All things written in the Bible before the coming of the Holy Spirit came in the form of parables. The Bereans, who had only the knowledge of the parables, didn’t know the truth until they heard Paul’s messages. When they verified that Paul’s messages about Jesus corresponded to the Old Testament, they came to believe that Jesus was the Lord they had been waiting for. It was through the Bible that they came to faith in Jesus.
A Christians’ faith comes from the Bible. No matter how hard you may pray, you cannot have faith if you don’t know the Bible. God created the world by His Word, and make the Word come to this world in the flesh and become the Lord of mankind. The Word of God is God. In the Bible, the very Word is recorded.
God did not give us a religion, He gave us Jesus. He did not give us a doctrine, He gave us the Bible. And He has sent the Holy Spirit so we can receive the Word by faith. Christians are those who believe in Jesus and depend on the Bible and the Holy Spirit to live out their faith. Our faith must agree with what the Bible says. If your faith is in any way different from the Bible, you must repent and correct it.
The Berean movement was born out of the desire to turn from our former way, where we had strayed from the Bible, and determine to make the Bible the foundation of our faith. If we are to have a biblical faith, we must believe in what Jesus did as it was recorded in the Bible, not interpret the Bible according to the doctrines of men or secular world-views. It is hard to believe that the dead lived again but if it is recorded in the Bible, we must believe it. It is equally hard to believe that men walked on water, but we must believe what is recorded in the Bible.
We must repent before God for our unbelief, that our faith does not conform to the Bible. The church must have a biblical faith.
Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is they that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life”. (John 5:39~40)
Some people say that if you believe in Jesus, everything will go well with you and you will prosper financially. However, the reason we believe in Jesus is not to have prosperity in this world but to have eternal life. God loved the world and sent Jesus to this earth so that men could have eternal life. That is why Jesus came and why the Bible was written.
Some people complain that the church focuses only on ‘eternal life’. They argue that there are many good lessons and things that the church can learn from the world and so we should adopt those ideas as well. And although wisdom and knowledge abound in the world, the only place where people will learn about eternal life is in the church.
When many of Jesus’ followers began to leave, the twelve disciples confessed, “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”. Many people did not follow the Word of eternal life, but the twelve disciples did. It is the duty of the church to lead people to Jesus and to tell them about Jesus when they are ignorant of Him.
Jesus said, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well”. (Mark 16:17~18)
The power to drive out demons, speak in tongues and place hands on sick people to heal them is a fundamental power given to all believers. But in this day if you try to exercise this power you can expect to be mocked and ridiculed and attacked. Nevertheless, according to the Bible, believers drive out demons, speak in tongues and heal the sick.

Members of Jesus’ Body
Jesus ascended up into heaven, so men cannot see Him anymore. But Jesus left His body in the world. That is the church (Ephesians 1:23) If you think about how a human body operates, you can easily understand the church because a man was made in His image and in His likeness. (Genesis 1:26)
The human body moves about freely because the various parts and internal organs fulfill their own functions, creating a harmony and balance. Likewise, the church can also operate effectively when its parts with various functions cooperate organically. If the eyes ignore the nose or the nose ignores the mouth, the whole body will be negatively affected.
The eyes and the nose have their respective roles. The individual members of the church also have various functions and roles, and none of them should be neglected or marginalized. What are some of the functions that make up the church?
1 Corinthians 12:7~11 says, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, as he wills”.
The Holy Spirit gives various gifts to each of us, not for our own enjoyment or benefit, but rather so we may work together with others who have different gifts for the edification of the body, which is the church.
1 Corinthians 12:27~31 says, “Now you are the body of Christ and each individual members of it. And in the church, God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, gifts of helping, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way”.
Those who sing better than others will more likely take roles as singers, but even though some others don’t become singers, they can sing as much as they like. The same goes for casting out demons, speaking in new tongues and laying hands on the sick to heal them, which powers are granted to whoever believes. Therefore, you must not think that you are an exceptional Christian because these basic powers are manifested in you and through you.
Whoever believes must play their role as a member of the church. There are various duties and functions in the church. Some people lead praise and worship songs, others usher new comers, and others teach the Bible. None is more important than the others.
Whether something seems a small thing or a big thing, they are all valuable as important roles within the church body. Therefore, you should not judge or criticize any role or function in the church.
Everyone should respect each other and be committed to their own roles. The church is the body of Jesus and we are the members of the body.
God has given us the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so we can work for the church. We must not be bystanders who go to church with no purpose, but members who are used by God. We must accomplish the work that can only be done with the help of the Holy Spirit. God has sent us the Holy Spirit, not just so that we can taste Him, but so that we can live in, obey, and work with the Holy Spirit.
What’s your role in the church? In order to faithfully and effectively discharge the duties of that role, you must be full of the Holy Spirit.
You must accomplish the holy work using the gifts of the Holy Spirit.